Haiti struggles to recover after Hurricane Matthew

Four days after a monster hurricane ripped through Haiti, a grim trail of destruction and death on the Caribbean island continued to come to light.

Author:
KHOU Staff

Published:
2:41 PM CDT October 9, 2016

Updated:
2:41 PM CDT October 9, 2016

Four days after a monster hurricane ripped through Haiti, a grim trail of destruction and death on the Caribbean island continued to come to light.

A United Nations report listed 271 deaths in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, while other outlets such as Reuters news agency reported Saturday that the toll was approaching 900. Fridnel Kedler, coordinator for the Civil Protection Agency in Grand-Anse, told the Associated Press at least 470 were dead in the hard-hit southwestern corner of the country.

Christy Delafield, a senior spokeswoman with global relief agency Mercy Corps, told USA TODAY on Saturday the real death toll may never be known. "We may never really understand the toll fully," Delafield said. Haitians in remote villages have already begun burying their dead, she said.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 750,000 people in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, are in need of humanitarian assistance. Of the 10.3 million people in Haiti, 1.3 million have been impacted by the storm, OCHA says.

Among the most alarming fallout of the storm was word on new cases of cholera, an infectious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small intestine usually transmitted by tainted water supplies. Haiti has been struggling to recover from a massive earthquake in 2010 and an ensuing cholera epidemic, which killed more than 7,000 people.

Delafield says she is aware of four new cases of cholera. Reuters reported 17 cases were detected in Chardonnieres on the southern coast.

It has been a struggle for relief agencies to access those in need in remote sections of the island. Matthew slammed the western tip of Haiti on Tuesday with 145-mph winds in an area of rural countryside that soon became cut off from the rest of the nation when a bridge gave out, complicating relief efforts.

PHOTOS: Haiti struggles to recover after Hurricane Matthew

A young man stands in front of a home destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in the small village of Casanette, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

A woman washes her clothes next to her home destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Destroyed houses by Hurricane Matthew are see in the small village of Casanette, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

A destroyed house is seen in the small village of Casanetti, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Aerial view of damages in small village of Casanette near Baumond, Haiti on October 8, 2016 after Hurricane Matthew passed the area.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / Nicolas GARCIA (Photo credit should read NICOLAS GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images)

View of the debris left by the Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

A child collects water with a bucket in a home destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, in the small village of Casanette, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

A woman washes her clothes in the middle of her home destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, in the small village of Casanette, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

A military member of MINUSTAH, United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, controls traffic of vehicles on the road linking Les Cayes with Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

A man walks past homes destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, in the small village of Casanette, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

A man shaves another man outsdie a house damaged by Hurricane Matthew in Les Cayes, Haiti on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

A caravan of military members of MINUSTAH, United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, in the road that link Les Cayes with Jeremie, in the La Riviere Glase, in the west of Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

The interior of a destroyed house is seen in the small village of Casanetti, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

A man repairs his home damaged by Hurricane Matthew in the small village of Casanette, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Areas of Jeremie, Haiti, destroyed by Hurricane Matthew are seen on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Romelus sits in her home destroyed in hurricane Matthew as she prepares tea in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

A young man carries water to remove the mud of his house destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Buildings destroyed and damaged by Hurricane Matthew are seen in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / Nicolas GARCIA (Photo credit should read NICOLAS GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images)

A woman cleans a wall to remove the mud in a house damage by the Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Alcide (23) sits in her house that was damaged in hurricane Matthew, in Deron, near Les Cayes in southwest Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Residents clean a street with debris left by the floods caused by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Sasa, 25, takes the remains of her house destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, to build another in a nearby field in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Sadame (R) removes mud from his home damaged by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Members of a family repair their home damaged by Hurricane Matthew in Gomier, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Areas of Jeremie, Haiti, destroyed by Hurricane Matthew are seen on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

A young man carries water to remove the mud of his house destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

A girl walks in a beach next to the debris left by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Homes destroyed and damaged by Hurricane Matthew are seen in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / Nicolas GARCIA (Photo credit should read NICOLAS GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images)

A man gestures while stangin in his house that was damaged in hurricane Matthew, in Deson, near Les Cayes in southwest Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Haitian people cross the river La Digue in Petit Goave where the bridge collapsed during the rains from Hurricane Matthew, southwest of Port-au-Prince, October 6, 2016.
Hurricane Matthew has left at least 23 people dead in Haiti, a toll likely to climb as authorities re-establish contact with the hardest-hit areas where the damage is "catastrophic," officials said. The Caribbean's worst storm in nearly a decade, Matthew slammed into Haiti, the Americas' poorest nation, with heavy rains and devastating winds triggering severe flooding and mud slides.
/ AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Residents clean debris left by the floods caused by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

TOPSHOT - A man carries a woman across a river at Petit Goave where a bridge collapsed during the rains of the Hurricane Matthew, southwest of Port-au-Prince, October 5, 2016.
Haiti and the eastern tip of Cuba -- blasted by Matthew on October 4, 2016 -- began the messy and probably grim task of assessing the storm's toll. Matthew hit them as a Category Four hurricane but has since been downgraded to three, on a scale of five, by the US National Hurricane Center. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

TOPSHOT - People try to cross the overflowing La Rouyonne river in the commune of Leogane, south of Port-au-Prince, October 5, 2016.
Haiti and the eastern tip of Cuba -- blasted by Matthew on October 4, 2016 -- began the messy and probably grim task of assessing the storm's toll. Matthew hit them as a Category Four hurricane but has since been downgraded to three, on a scale of five, by the US National Hurricane Center.
/ AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

The areas of Jeremie, Haiti, destroyed by Hurricane Matthew are seen from the air on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / Nicolas GARCIA (Photo credit should read NICOLAS GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images)

A man rests on a palm tree that was damaged by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

A girl walks in a beach next to the debris left by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Valencia (L) cleans her house that was damaged in hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Areas of Jeremie, Haiti, destroyed by Hurricane Matthew are seen on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Buildings destroyed and damaged by Hurricane Matthew are seen in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / Nicolas GARCIA (Photo credit should read NICOLAS GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images)

Alcide (23) walks in her house that was damaged by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Residents clean debris left by the floods caused by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Haitians look for food in a house destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Residents clean debris left by the floods caused by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

A boy plays with a broken guitar while sitting in rubble left by the Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Buildings destroyed and damaged by Hurricane Matthew are seen in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / Nicolas GARCIA (Photo credit should read NICOLAS GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images)

TOPSHOT - Haitian people cross the river La Digue in Petit Goave where the bridge collapsed during the rains of the Hurricane Matthew, southwest of Port-au-Prince, October 5, 2016.
Haiti and the eastern tip of Cuba -- blasted by Matthew on October 4, 2016 -- began the messy and probably grim task of assessing the storm's toll. Matthew hit them as a Category Four hurricane but has since been downgraded to three, on a scale of five, by the US National Hurricane Center. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A young man stands in front of a home destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in the small village of Casanette, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A woman washes her clothes next to her home destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Destroyed houses by Hurricane Matthew are see in the small village of Casanette, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A destroyed house is seen in the small village of Casanetti, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Aerial view of damages in small village of Casanette near Baumond, Haiti on October 8, 2016 after Hurricane Matthew passed the area.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / Nicolas GARCIA (Photo credit should read NICOLAS GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images)

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View of the debris left by the Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A child collects water with a bucket in a home destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, in the small village of Casanette, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A woman washes her clothes in the middle of her home destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, in the small village of Casanette, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A military member of MINUSTAH, United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, controls traffic of vehicles on the road linking Les Cayes with Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A man walks past homes destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, in the small village of Casanette, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A man shaves another man outsdie a house damaged by Hurricane Matthew in Les Cayes, Haiti on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A caravan of military members of MINUSTAH, United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, in the road that link Les Cayes with Jeremie, in the La Riviere Glase, in the west of Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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The interior of a destroyed house is seen in the small village of Casanetti, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A man repairs his home damaged by Hurricane Matthew in the small village of Casanette, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Areas of Jeremie, Haiti, destroyed by Hurricane Matthew are seen on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Romelus sits in her home destroyed in hurricane Matthew as she prepares tea in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A young man carries water to remove the mud of his house destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Buildings destroyed and damaged by Hurricane Matthew are seen in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / Nicolas GARCIA (Photo credit should read NICOLAS GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images)

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A woman cleans a wall to remove the mud in a house damage by the Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Alcide (23) sits in her house that was damaged in hurricane Matthew, in Deron, near Les Cayes in southwest Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Residents clean a street with debris left by the floods caused by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Sasa, 25, takes the remains of her house destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, to build another in a nearby field in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Sadame (R) removes mud from his home damaged by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Members of a family repair their home damaged by Hurricane Matthew in Gomier, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Areas of Jeremie, Haiti, destroyed by Hurricane Matthew are seen on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A young man carries water to remove the mud of his house destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A girl walks in a beach next to the debris left by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Homes destroyed and damaged by Hurricane Matthew are seen in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / Nicolas GARCIA (Photo credit should read NICOLAS GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images)

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A man gestures while stangin in his house that was damaged in hurricane Matthew, in Deson, near Les Cayes in southwest Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Haitian people cross the river La Digue in Petit Goave where the bridge collapsed during the rains from Hurricane Matthew, southwest of Port-au-Prince, October 6, 2016.
Hurricane Matthew has left at least 23 people dead in Haiti, a toll likely to climb as authorities re-establish contact with the hardest-hit areas where the damage is "catastrophic," officials said. The Caribbean's worst storm in nearly a decade, Matthew slammed into Haiti, the Americas' poorest nation, with heavy rains and devastating winds triggering severe flooding and mud slides.
/ AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Residents clean debris left by the floods caused by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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TOPSHOT - A man carries a woman across a river at Petit Goave where a bridge collapsed during the rains of the Hurricane Matthew, southwest of Port-au-Prince, October 5, 2016.
Haiti and the eastern tip of Cuba -- blasted by Matthew on October 4, 2016 -- began the messy and probably grim task of assessing the storm's toll. Matthew hit them as a Category Four hurricane but has since been downgraded to three, on a scale of five, by the US National Hurricane Center. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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TOPSHOT - People try to cross the overflowing La Rouyonne river in the commune of Leogane, south of Port-au-Prince, October 5, 2016.
Haiti and the eastern tip of Cuba -- blasted by Matthew on October 4, 2016 -- began the messy and probably grim task of assessing the storm's toll. Matthew hit them as a Category Four hurricane but has since been downgraded to three, on a scale of five, by the US National Hurricane Center.
/ AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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The areas of Jeremie, Haiti, destroyed by Hurricane Matthew are seen from the air on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / Nicolas GARCIA (Photo credit should read NICOLAS GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images)

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A man rests on a palm tree that was damaged by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A girl walks in a beach next to the debris left by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Valencia (L) cleans her house that was damaged in hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Areas of Jeremie, Haiti, destroyed by Hurricane Matthew are seen on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Buildings destroyed and damaged by Hurricane Matthew are seen in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / Nicolas GARCIA (Photo credit should read NICOLAS GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images)

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Alcide (23) walks in her house that was damaged by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Residents clean debris left by the floods caused by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Haitians look for food in a house destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Residents clean debris left by the floods caused by Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A boy plays with a broken guitar while sitting in rubble left by the Hurricane Matthew, in Jeremie, Haiti, on October 8, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear Saturday as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Buildings destroyed and damaged by Hurricane Matthew are seen in Jeremie, in western Haiti, on October 7, 2016.
The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged over 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / Nicolas GARCIA (Photo credit should read NICOLAS GARCIA/AFP/Getty Images)

TOPSHOT - Haitian people cross the river La Digue in Petit Goave where the bridge collapsed during the rains of the Hurricane Matthew, southwest of Port-au-Prince, October 5, 2016.
Haiti and the eastern tip of Cuba -- blasted by Matthew on October 4, 2016 -- began the messy and probably grim task of assessing the storm's toll. Matthew hit them as a Category Four hurricane but has since been downgraded to three, on a scale of five, by the US National Hurricane Center. / AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Humanitarian agency World Vision said Saturday that access to some areas was starting to improve. Cell service was returning and government officials were starting to hear from the mayors of outlying cities with information about the conditions in their areas. The group delivered relief supplies to 1,000 households on Friday and was gearing up for more relief over the weekend.

People keep asking, “When is this going to stop? When are we going to get a break from crisis after crisis?” said John Hasse, national director of World Vision in Port-au-Prince. "They’re tired and discouraged. And yet, somehow, they just keep getting back up and rebuilding again.”

World Vision's Guy Vital-Herne, working with crews in the southern part of the country, said access to clean water is a growing concern. "Pipes have broken in homes, but people can’t leave their neighborhoods to buy clean water. In some towns, the water sources have been contaminated." he said.

Haiti is one of the most deforested countries in the world, making it more vulnerable to windstorms and heavy rain. The sloping, mountainous areas were also at risk of landslides. The area hit hardest by the storm is populated by villages where Haitians live in shacks of wood, corrugated steel and even mud. The storm tore off rooftops and flattened others to their foundations. Hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless, Reuters reported.

Donna Porstner of Americares said Saturday that the disaster relief agency was "working non-stop" and coordinating with the Ministry of Health in Haiti.

"Americares' emergency response teams in Port-au-Prince and Les Cayes are assessing survivors’ health needs and coordinating aid shipments," she said. "So far we have delivered two shipments of medicine and relief supplies to Les Cayes, and we have more on the way."

Porstner said drivers navigated treacherous roads to deliver the medicine and supplies such as oral rehydration salts, wound care treatments and intravenous fluids. Americares has about $1.6 million in aid on the way to Haiti, she said.

The United Nation's Population Fund said Saturday that it was concerned about the fate of more than 8,400 pregnant women who are expected to give birth in the next three months, as well as 1,200 women who would need cesarean sections. The agency was sending 252 emergency reproductive health kits to parts of the nation.

"Hurricane Matthew delivered a severe blow to Haiti's health facilities, whether by flooding these centers or blowing off their roofs and putting them out of service," said Babatunde Osotimehin, UNFPA executive director. “We will work to help women give birth and live, despite this tragedy.”

On Saturday, Delafield was en route to Nippes in the southern part of the country on a mission to deliver hygiene kits containing such items as toothbrushes, shampoo and laundry soap. Mercy Corps hoped to deliver 5,000 kits to those in the mountainous areas.

The U.N.'s World Food Programme estimates up to 80% of harvest has been lost in many areas in Haiti as well.

"Haiti has been hit time and again with major disasters," Delafield says. "They just had the most severe drought in 50 years. This was the first year people had hoped for a good harvest."

No matter what the official numbers end up being, Delafield said the losses are overwhelming. "People lost their homes, all their crops. They wonder how can I rebuild my home? I have no money to provide food for family, to heat my home, to repair walls that have collapsed."